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CHURCH  MUSIC 

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AT 


GRINNELL 


Grinnell  College  Bulletin 


ORGAN 

AND 

CHURCH  MUSIC 

AT 

GRINNELL 


Entered  March  25, 1903,  at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  as  Second-class  Matter  under 
Act  of  Congress  of  July  10,  1894 


THE  LILLIAN  LOUISE  TERRIL  MEMORIAL  ORGAN 


Better  Church  Music 


VERY  minister,  and  every  church-goer,  knows 
that  in  the  musical  part  of  our  church  ser¬ 
vices,  both  instrumental  and  choral,  there 
is  need  of  vast  improvement.  As  an  aid  to 
devotion  good  church  music  rightly  merits 
its  title  as  the  “handmaid  of  religion”.  Just 
to  the  degree  that  good  church  music  fulfills 
such  a  function,  so  does  poor,  inappropriate,  and  badly 
presented  music  in  the  service  destroy  the  spirit  of  wor¬ 
ship,  and  tend  to  nullify  the  influence  of  the  church  in  its 
own  community. 

The  problem  of  better  church  music  is  almost  entirely 
the  problem  of  better  training  for  church  musicians. 
There  is  presented  herewith,  for  the  consideration  of  those 
who  have  this  particular  field  of  music  at  heart,  the  ex¬ 
ceptional  advantages  which  Grinnell  College  and  its  School 
of  Music  provide  for  the  training  of  competent  organists 
and  choir  leaders. 

There  are  few  colleges  or  music  schools  in  this  country, 
and  ceriainly  none  west  of  the  Mississippi,  where  so  much 
emphasis  has  been  laid  upon  the  higher  forms  of  devotion¬ 
al  music  as  at  Grinnell.  The  College  Vespers,  which 
for  twelve  years  have  been  held  every  Sunday  afternoon 
during  the  college  year,  are  renowned  for  the  high  quality 
of  music  presented,  the  uniquely  worshipful  atmosphere, 
and  the  exceptional  capability  of  the  vested  choir  of  stu¬ 
dents  which  provides  the  rich  musical  portion  of  the  ser- 


vice.  Regular  attendance  at  these  services  alone  would 
constitute  a  splendid  course  in  the  theory  and  practice  of 
the  best  church  music  of  all  the  ages,  and  no  student  can 
spend  four  years  in  Grinnell  without  acquiring  lofty  ideals 
of  what  church  music  may  be. 

The  opportunities  to  hear  good  organ  music  are  better 
at  Grinnell,  than  one  would  find,  with  very  few  exceptions, 


in  any  college  in  the  country.  The  College  is  rich  in  the 
fine  organs  which  have  been  presented  to  it.  The  Lillian 
Louise  Terril  Organ  in  Herrick  Chapel,  which  is  heard 
not  only  at  Vespers,  but  daily  at  Chapel  and  at  frequent 
recitals,  has  no  equal  in  tonal  resources,  richness  and  ex¬ 
pression,  in  this  part  of  the  country.  During  the  past 
summer,  through  the  generosity  of  its  donor,  many  inter¬ 
esting  additions  have  been  made  to  it  which  are  a  constant 
fascination  to  those  who  use  and  those  who  hear  it. 


Each  student  who  completes  the  four  years’  course  in 
organ  music  gives  two  or  three  public  recitals  on  this 
organ,  and  the  extensive  use  of  organ  music  at  other  public 
occasions  in  the  life  of  the  College  has  come  to  be  a 
prominent  feature. 

The  Turner  Memorial  Organ,  in  Alumni  Hall,  is  a 
typical  two-manual  organ,  such  as  is  in  use  in  many 
churches  throughout  the  country.  All  organ  students  do  a 
considerable  portion  of  their  study  on  this  organ  so  as  to 


be  prepared  to  adapt  themselves  readily  to  organs  of  its 
size,  but  every  student  has  at  least  two  years’  experience 
with  the  larger  organ,  and  becomes  competent  to  handle 
effectively  any  organ  large  or  small  that  he  is  likely  to 
meet.  A  smaller  organ  is  used  for  the  purely  technical 
part  of  organ  practice,  but  regular  use  of  the  larger  organs 
is  necessary  and  required  of  every  student.  The  usual  de¬ 
ficiency  in  study  of  the  pipe  organ  lies  in  the  fact  that  stu¬ 
dents  must  do  their  work  on  small,  incomplete,  and  obso¬ 
lete  types  of  organs.  At  Grinnell  this  deficiency  does  not 


appear,  as  the  greater  part  of  each  student’s  work  is  done 
on  pipe  organs  of  modern  construction  and  ample  magni¬ 
tude.  Each  organ  is  blown  by  electric  power,  and  is  well 
situated  as  regards  heat  and  light,  so  that  practice  is  car¬ 
ried  forward  under  the  best  conditions. 

Equal  in  every  respect  to  the  exceptional  advantages 


for  study  of  the  organ  are  the  opportunities  in  choral  music. 
1  he  chief  exponent  in  this  field  is  the  Gnnnell  College 
Choir,  a  vested  choir  of  forty-four  students,  members  of  the 
two  College  Glee  Clubs.  This  choir  won  the  $400  grand 
prize  and  gold  medal  at  the  Des  Moines  Eisteddfod  on 
March  1st,  1914.  The  liturgy  and  music  at  Vespers,  pre¬ 
sented  by  this  choir,  has  been  established  to  provide  a 
complete  and  authentic  standard  of  the  proper  use  of 
music  as  an  aid  to  worship,  and  the  list  of  sacred  music 


which  has  been  presented  at  Vespers  is  a  guide  to  the  best 
religious  music  of  every  period  of  the  Christian  church. 
Other  choral  organizations,  such  as  the  Oratorio  Society 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  members,  and  the  First  Congre¬ 
gational  Church  Choir  of  fifty  members,  both  made  up 
largely  of  students,  provide  special  training  in  choral  music; 
and  in  the  choirs  of  other  churches  in  Grinnell,  Metho¬ 


dist,  Baptist,  and  Presbyterian,  are  plenty  of  opportunities 
for  students  to  exercise  their  ability.  The  Methodist 
church  is  to  install  a  very  fine  modern  pipe  organ,  estab¬ 
lishing  another  center  of  influence  for  good  in  this  direction. 

Over  and  through  all  these  specific  elements  of  train¬ 
ing  for  church  musicians  is  the  high  religious  and  spiritual 
atmosphere  of  the  college  and  community;  without  which 
no  amount  of  technical  proficiency  would  be  of  avail. 
The  actuating  spirit  in  our  church  music  must  be  that  of 


consecrated  devotion  to  religious  ideals;  the  display  of  per¬ 
sonal  talent  has  no  place  in  the  church.  The  spirit  of 
Grinnell  in  regard  to  this  point  is  emphatic,  and  the  lead¬ 
ing  of  a  “sober,  righteous  and  godly  life’’  is  fundamental  in 
any  course  of  training  which  the  College  offers. 

For  those  who  wish  to  make  music  teaching  their  pro¬ 
fession,  the  study  of  the  organ  and  choral  music  is  a  most 


valuable  asset.  The  number  of  large  organs  is  increasing 
with  unprecedented  rapidity  in  churches  of  every  denomi¬ 
nation,  and  the  need  for  specially  trained  organists  is  con¬ 
stantly  more  urgent.  Any  music-teacher  who  can  qualify 
as  an  organist  or  choir  leader  will  find  the  road  to  success 
made  plain.  There  is  also  a  decided  movement  toward 
freer  use  of  the  organ:  in  many  cities  in  the  United  States 
large  and  very  fine  organs  have  been  placed  in  public 
buildings,  and  in  three  cities  at  least  — Pittsburgh,  Portland, 


Me.,  and  Atlanta— organists  have  been  engaged  by  the 
municipalities  to  give  weekly  recitals.  The  further  exten¬ 
sion  of  this  idea  is  inevitable,  giving  a  new  incentive  to  the 
study  of  the  organ. 

There  are  many  who  would  like  to  study  the  organ, 
but  who  do  not  desire  to  undertake  an  entire  course  in 
music:  for  such  the  College  has  made  a  very  desirable  ar¬ 


rangement,  by  which  study  of  one  branch  of  music,  up  to 
a  liberal  proportion  of  the  college  course,  may  be  counted 
toward  a  college  degree:  and  in  certain  cases  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts  may  be  obtained.  The  combinations 
that  may  be  made  of  music  with  college  work  are  many, 
and  whatever  a  student’s  proclivities  may  be,  it  is  possible 
to  meet  them  in  every  individual  case. 

Complete  catalogues  of  Grinnell  College  and  the 
Grinnell  School  of  Music  will  be  sent  on  request,  giving 


detailed  information;  correspondence  regarding  proposed 
study,  for  a  short  term  or  for  the  full  course,  in  any  of  the 
branches  of  music,  is  welcome  at  all  times,  and  should  be 
addressed  to  George  L.  Pierce,  Director,  Grinnell,  Iowa. 
The  best  time  for  entering  on  a  course  of  study,  long  or 
short,  is  in  the  fall:  but  students  may  enter  at  other  times 
with  but  slight  disadvantage. 


The  Grinnell  Organs 

The  Lillian  Louise  Terril  Memorial  Organ 

HERRICK  CHAPEL 


GREAT  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason  I 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason  II 
8  ft.  Flauto  Major 
8  ft.  Flute  Harmonique 
4  ft.  Octave 
4  ft.  Wald  Floete 
2  rks.  Mixture 
8  ft.  Corno  d’Amour 

CHOIR  ORGAN 
8  ft.  Spitzfloete 
8  ft.  Melodia 
8  ft.  Dolce 
4  ft.  Flauto  Traverso 
2  ft.  Flageolet 
8  ft.  Clarinet 
Tremolo 

ECHO  ORGAN 
8  ft.  Violin  Diapason 
8  ft.  Stopped  Diapason 
8  ft.  Viol  d’Orchestre 
4  ft.  Flute  Harmonic 
Tremolo 


SWELL  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Bourdon 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Stopped  Diapason 
8  ft.  Salicional 
8  ft.  Viol  d’Orchestre 
8  ft.  Voix  Celeste 
8  ft.  Aeoline 
8  ft.  Rohr  Floete 
16  ft.  Contra  Fagotto 
8  ft.  Cornopean 
8  ft.  Oboe 
8  ft.  Vox  Humana 
Tremolo 


PEDAL  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Open  Diapason 
16  ft.  Bourdon 
16  ft.  Lieblich  Gedeckt 
8  ft.  Flute 
8  ft.  Gedeckt 


Sixteen  couplers,  eighteen  adjustable  combinations;  pneumatic  and 
electro-pneumatic  action;  electric  blower. 


The  Turner  Memorial  Organ 


ALUMNI  HALL 


GREAT  ORGAN 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Melodia 
8  ft.  Dulciana 
4  ft.  Octave 
4  ft.  Flute  d’Amour 

PEDAL  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Bourdon 
8  ft.  Violoncello 

Four  couplers;  five 


SWELL  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Bourdon 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Stopped  Diapason 
8  ft.  Salicional 
8  ft.  Aeoline 
4  ft.  Violina 
8  ft.  Oboe 

Tremolo 

tracker  action;  electric 


combination  pedals; 
blower. 


The  Organ  in  The  Firs 

GREAT  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason  I 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason  II 
8  ft.  Grosse  Floete 
8  ft.  Gemshorn 
4  ft.  Octave 
4  ft.  Hohl  Floete 
8  ft.  Trumpet 

CHOIR  ORGAN 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Melodia 
8  ft.  Dulciana 
4  ft.  Chimney  Flute 
2  ft.  Harmonic  Piccolo 
8  ft.  Clarinet 
Tremolo 

Nine  couplers;  twelve  adjustable 
electric 


Congregational  Church 

SWELL  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Bourdon 
8  ft.  Open  Diapason 
8  ft.  Stopped  Diapason 
8  ft.  Salicional 
8  ft.  Viol  d’Orchestre 
8  ft.  Voix  Celeste 
4  ft.  Violina 
4  ft.  Traverse  Flute 
3  rks.  Solo  Mixture 
8  ft.  Cornopean 
8  ft.  Oboe 
Tremolo 

PEDAL  ORGAN 

16  ft.  Open  Diapason 
16  ft.  Bourdon 
16  ft.  Violone 
16  ft.  Lieblich  Gedeckt 
8  ft.  Flute 
8  ft.  Violoncello 

combinations;  pneumatic  action; 
blower. 


The  following  complete  works  are  among  those  which  have 
been  presented  by  the  Grinnell  Choral  Organizations: 


God’s  Time  is  the  Best 

Rhapsodie 

Requiem 

Frithjol 

Easter  Cantata 

The  Seven  Last  Words  of  Christ 
The  Banner  of  Saint  George 
Messe  Solennelle 
Olaf  Trygvasson 
The  Messiah 
The  Creation 
Elijah 

Hymn  of  Praise 
Hear  my  Prayer 
The  Ninety-fifth  Psalm 
Hora  Novissima 
Night 

Samson  and  Delilah 
The  Crucifixion 
Requiem 

The  Death  and  Resurrection  c 
Hiawatha’s  Wedding  Feast 
The  Death  of  Minnehaha 
Hiawatha’s  Departure 
The  Liturgy  of  Saint  John  Ch 


Bach 
Brahms 
Brahms 
Bruch 
Bruch 
Dubois 
Elgar 
Gounod 
Grieg 
Handel 
Haydn 
Mendelssohn 
Mendelssohn 
Mendelssohn 
Mendelssohn 
Parker 
Saint  Saens 
Saint  Saens 
Stainer 
Scheve 

•  Christ  Siheve 

Coleridge-Taylor 
Coldridge-  Taylor 
Coleridge-  Taylor 
/sostorn  Tchaikovsky 


Typical  Student  Organ  Recitals 


RUTH  WILKINS 

CLASS  OF  1914 

January  23,  1914 

PROGRAM 

Prelude  and  Fugue  in  E  Hat  (“St.  Ann’s”) 

Bach 

(a)  Lento 

Jadassohn 

(b)  Scherzo  (Canon) 

Jadassohn 

Liebestod,  from  Tristan  and  Isolde 

IV agner 

Sonata  in  B  minor,  op.  146 

R  heinberger 

Prelude  and  Fugue 

Theme  and  Variations 

Fantasia  and  Finale 


ROWLAND  MANUEL 

CLASS  OF  1913 

March  4,  1913 

PROGRAM 

Prelude  and  F'ugue  in  B  minor 

Siegfried  Idyll 

Fifth  Sonata  in  C  Minor 

Allegro  appassionata 
Adagio 

Scherzo 

Recitativo 

Choral  and  Fugue 


Bach 
IV agner 
Gui  burnt 


MABEL  GOAVA  BLAIR 

CLASS  OF  1914 


January  9,  1914 

PROGRAM 


Sonata  in  L  sharp,  op.  1  1 1  Rhein berger 

Grave,  Allegro  moderato 

Adagio  non  troppo,  l’istesso  tempo 
Allegro  maestoso 


Intermezzo  from  op.  116,  No.  6 
Prelude,  op  19,  No.  5 
Prelude  and  fugue  in  G  minor.  Book  3,  No. 
Waldweben,  from  Siegfried 


Brahms-Lemare 
Guilmant 
5  Bach 

Wagner- Lem  are 


